Determined Panthers host Habs

With reports swirling that GM Pierre Gauthier had lost his authority — and then those reports firmly denied (here and here) — the Habs waited in Florida to take on the Panthers.

It’s an unsettling time around the Canadiens and the curious item on Gauthier unnecessarily added to the turmoil. Team president Geoff Molson subsequently told TSN’s Bob McKenzie the Habs were operating now the same way they had all season and, as The Gazette’s Dave Stubbs tweeted, “I’d have to think Geoff Molson has veto power on EVERY #Habs decision. He signs cheques on behalf of himself & his partners.”

Now, when it comes to rumours, perhaps the best remedy is to pull out a copy of the great Marvin Gaye singing “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” and embrace the lyric, “People say believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear.”

The trade rumours surrounding both Andrei Kostitsyn and Chris Campoli could mean they won’t be dressed for this game, although rumours being what they are, these two could just as easily remain Habs. One lineup change is certain, however: Peter Budaj will be in goal.

The Panthers don’t get anywhere near the scrutiny that the Habs do and their players don’t figure prominently in trade rumors. They won on Saturday thanks in part to two players they picked up since Friday — Wojtek Wolski and Jerred Smithson — both with no prior fanfare.

Florida beat Carolina 3-2 on Saturday, a post-game skills competition win in which Kirk Muller’s Hurricanes led 2-0 going into the third period. Wolski, acquired from the Rangers earlier in the day, forced overtime by scoring in his first game for Florida with under two minutes left in regulation.

“We obviously needed those two points,” Wolski said, and provided a little Panthers’ scouting report of his own. “The system is similar to some of the systems I’ve seen in the past, so it was easy to kind of jump in. I liked how fast and how skilled the guys are, especially the `D.’ They jump in the play all the time, which is nice.”

The win broke a four-game losing streak for the Panthers and all those losses were at home, one of which came after regulation. But with their club decimated by injuries, GM Dale Tallon and his assistant GM Mike Santos not only added Wolski on Saturday but also former Predator Smithson on Friday. Santos knew Smithson from his previous job in Nashville’s hockey department. Smithson set the screen in front of Hurricanes goalie Justin Peters on Wolski’s goal

“Jerred is a hard-working, responsible, veteran player who plays well at both ends of the ice,” Tallon said. “He is a very good penalty killer who has consistently ranked among his team’s leaders in faceoff win percentage.”

Florida is clearly set on making a run at their first playoff spot since 2000. These two deals give them some admirable depth. They’ve missed some important players in recent games due to injury — John Madden, Marcel Goc, Marco Sturm, Scottie Upshall and Dmitry Kulikov among them — and some could return shortly.

When they are healthy again, Florida’s group of cast-off should remain in the hunt to the end for the Southeast Division title, which may be the only way a team from that dubious group will make the postseason.

One of the key injured Panthers returning Saturday was defenceman Jason Garrison, who missed a few weeks with a lower body injury. He picked up an assist on Wolski’s late goal. Ed Jovanovski returned earlier in the week after missing a month.

Kevin Dineen’s club is tied in points atop the division with the Jets, each having 68. But Florida has four games in hand over Winnipeg. They have two games in hand over third place Washington, which has 67 points and currently out of the playoff picture.

The hottest Panther is Tomas Fleischmann whose goal Saturday with only seven minutes left in regulation made the score 2-1. It was Fleischmann’s 20th of the year and he has 11 points (five of them goals) in his past 13 games. Kris Versteeg got an assist on that goal and is Florida’s leading scorer with 49 points through 58 games.

Brian Campbell has been a workhorse for Dineen on defence. He played 30:28 on Saturday, the fifth straight game in which he’s been on for over 30 minutes.

Jose Theodore stopped 26 of 28 Carolina shots and has played in the last six for Florida. Scott Clemmesen started one of those games, on Feb. 15, but Dineen pulled him halfway through after he gave up four goals on 16 shots. He hasn’t played since. Theo hasn’t played on consecutive days since the end of December, however. So Dineen may have a decision to make here.

Dineen’s not afraid to make changes. He switched centers during the Carolina game, breaking up Florida’s top line by putting Stephen Weiss with Mikael Samuelsson and Sean Bergenheim; Tomas Kopecky centered Fleischmann and Versteeg. It worked.

One interesting sidelight to this game will be the fans in Sunrise, FL. Usually, the snowbirds and transplants make the crowd at these games loudly pro-Habs. But with the Panthers battling for the playoffs and the Habs out of it, the crowd could be different on Sunday.

Here’s how the Panthers could line up Sunday at 5 PM, and we’ll guess that Dineen goes with Theodore in goal and will return to his usual lines but shake them up again if he doesn’t like what he sees.

With all the Dustin Brown rumours, I began to dream. Would anybody be upset if Pleks was moved in some way to get him? I realize this would leave us lacking center depth (and conversely LA with too many), but this would allow Eller to really get an early audition for 2nd line center for next year, and also Brown would help open up some more ice for our smaller players in the future, since we’ll have Gio, DD and potentially, but not likely Gallagher (next year anyway). We could then look to another trade or UFA to obtain another center( depending on what is needed based off Eller’s performance). They could even shift LL back into his natural center position (although I like him with Eller too. Decisions, decisions). Trading Pleks also makes keeping Moen a higher priority to help maintain some of our PK presence.

AK might be the better fit for both, simply in terms of him being a winger, and who knows, could have chemistry with Kopitar. Trading AK though would involve tossing in a 1st rounder, but it would have to be for 2013 (Otherwise we are overpaying). Might need tweaking in someway unless AK re-ups with LA.

If he had a plan and people to implement it he would have seized the day instead of doing a slo-mo takeover from Gillette. Bring in a new Pres, GM coaches and start fresh and hit the ground running with your new team of the best available *experienced* people instead of the two years of garbage we’ve seen. What a gawdawful stinking mess.

It’s a classic example of double speak. Gauthier is as a lame a duck as a lame duck can be. It’s obvious what is happening. Gainey came down to sit behind the bench twice, now he is coming back to take on the interim role of GM until whoever the next guy gets hired. One thing for certain, nothing will change until Gainey is shown the door.

Whether it was not drafting centres while Koivu was here and trading away the likes of Ribiero and Grabovksi for nothing, or trading away Halak after he became a local hero so as to further the enabling of Carey Price as the de facto uncontested #1 goalie, to the refusal to face up to the reality that the NHL train has left the Scott Gomez station, this team will constantly make moves that put PR decisions ahead of hockey decisions.

Look how they went into damage control after the blow back. Which further lends credence to my point.

If they were intent on playing the hockey card they would have said something like they felt a change was needed, they already had Carbo on salary, Martin as well + his firing bonus, Cunneyworth was already on-board, yadda yadda. You know hockey platitudes.

Rather they immediately threw him under the bus.

IMO PR motivated many moves and took precedence over hockey decisions; Claude Lemieux, Roy, Chelios, Carbonneau, to a lesser extent Ribiero, Grabovksi, SergeiK and Latendresse. PR was involved in the Cammy trade although vehemently denied.

I believe Tony M for 2 reasons:
1. Stu Cowan, Mtl Gazette, stood up with Tony M for the interview. He would not have done so without confidence in Tony M’s sources;
2. The Molsons cannot simply explode their management … in any division of their company, and certainly not here under such scrutiny. Management change has to be managed with as little disruption as possible. Millions of $ are at stake with such change. Yet, the Molsons needed to announce a change to appease the fan base. So, this was an effective way to advise the fans know that management change and the future of our team, is coming, and is in very, very good hands.

The playing field:
The NHL is now very professional, with professional GMs, under the watch of very professional owners. It is a league characterized by team parity governed by salary cap, iron-clad player contracts, and very expensive player development investments. The days of one-sided deals and simple trades to improve a team are over.

What will we see:
The Molsons demand and will achieve excellence. The team will continue to spend to the cap. But there will be no more knee-jerk reactions or signings. From now on, they will make sense. [Remember, this is a very tough competitive management market – literally GM vs GM. We have a set of binding contracts, and a given community of team prospects, that fix our position today. Roster changes will not be immediate, may not necessarily be dramatic, but there will be a strategic plan. The strategic plan is the most important part of team development. It will be a multi-year plan with milestones of achievement along the way.

So, given the right existing contract resolution opportunities, the team’s room under the cap will be increased to enable significant roster changes. (Think of the contracts that now hamstring the team. How do you relieve yourself of them? It is not easy.)) Les Canadiens will not return to their former glory immediately, but they’ll be on the right track starting now.

There will be a real ‘behind the scenes’ GM team. For the next few months, PG, and later his replacement, will be required to provide professional options review, analysis, and recommendations only. PG will present his analysis to the real GM team that will guide the team’s development. PG, and then his replacement, will continue to be the face of the GM, but the power will now be behind the scenes.

When will we see change?:
I believe we’ll see a revitalized team next year. I think the core of the team, with the help of B Gionta, in whom I have great confidence, will buy into a smart strategic plan. In 3 years, we’ll be a strong cup contender, but certain contracts must be resolved first.

So, these are my thoughts, for what they are worth. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I’ve been a Canadiens fan forever. I do have some smarts – I have an MBA with years of senior management experience. Oh yeah, I always lived and loved to play our game.

One thing I do know. The Molsons will achieve excellence with this team.

Our top 3 line wingers ->in order I think they can conttribute (and not just points) to the team’s success

Cole
Max
Gio
AK
Bourque
LL

So if we get rid of AK, then who do we get to replace him? Semin (wouldn’t AK-plek-Semin be good – think AK-plek-kovalev)? Parise (the best out there). Yes it would be nice but do you really think they will sign with a bottom feeder next year unless we badly overpay? And forget Nash – 0 chance. Will any of them sign for 4M or less like AK would like do so?would any of them sign for under 6M? The best out there as a comparison is Parenteau (is he better than AK? will he sign for less?)

We could chase Doan on a 1-2 year and that might make sense as a short term stop gap – but again we will have to overpay big time as I don’t think he wants to leave. Will we suck enough to have our top pick slot in at top 9 next year? and if so will he be effective? As much as I like what I see in LL, I need to see more from him before he develops beyond the 3rd line and surpases both Bourque and AK on the depth chart.

As much as I like Moen and White and even a Darche a bit, they belong on the fourth line of a good team.

We also have other needs

Overhaul our D:
with like a top veteran D (like a Brad Stuart as insurance in case Markov cannot come back (unless you want to make the same gamble management made this year!), a tough vet stay at home (like an O’brien) and replacement for Kabs if possible. Add them to Markov, Subban, Emelin and Diaz/weber and this is a good 7D.

Dress a capable 4th line with no fear:
A faceoff specialist 4th line Center (like a Gaustad) and if we trade Moen, some sandpaper capable of PK duty (like a Campbell).

Made my day to hear Molson’s vote of confidence in our GM. Let him do his job. Don’t rush to judgement. Gainey got 5+ years, I think the same courtesy should be given to his partner and protege. If he falls on his face like Bob did then ok, go out and get us the best available francophone GM. Perhaps Jacques Martin. Just a thought.

Yeah, why would we want to entertain an opinion from someone saying something honest and fair.
no no no, we MUST jump to conclusions, change coaches every 6 months and GM’s every year till we win win win… Lets let the people run this team by popular vote.

CBC Ideas has done a three-part series called “The Nation of Hockey”. I podcasted Part 1 only yesterday and it’s very interesting and well put together, asking existential questions about us Canadians and the game of hockey, but also touching on issues like the changing demographics among NHL players, the Canadian franchises, and the language issue, particularly behind the bench, in Montreal.

Last night I saw one of the best Junior hockey games this year. Between the home team Belleville Bulls and the best rated Junior team in Canada, The London Knights. They are coached by Dale’s brother, Mark Hunter.

It was a very high tempo affair and I was surprised to see Belleville staying right with them and even out working them most of the game. The Bulls scored 1st in the 1st. London came back with two quick ones in the second. Bulls tied it up at 2 in the 3rd after London’s Tinordi coughed it up behind his own net. Bulls scored again with 6 or so minutes left and hung on to a 3 to 2 win.
Lots of clean hits, which was nice to see. One hard hit made contact with the head and the Belleville player got 5 and a game. Well refereed game for such a fast paced, hard hitting entertaining game.

Story on Mtl. draft pick Tinordi is, I was looking at another Hal Gill, 6ft. 7in. captain of the Knights, slow, not much of a shot and a strong fore check gets him into trouble. He makes very quick bench changes, short shifts, good passes, only stood out because of his size.

But to be fair, on his 1st shift of the game, he took a very hard hit on the boards at his blue line and went off for half of the 1st period.
This was the only game that I have seen him play live, so he may have had an off night. But I was not impressed with his play. I think he will spend a long time learning his craft in Hamilton before he will be much help for the big club.

But what a 3 periods of great hockey!! Malcom Subban had a great game in the nets for Belleville.

Thanks Ian, glad you enjoyed the game. I think you are right about Tinordi, a young kid that size is going to take awhile to be ready for NHL. I still think his future is bright, especially when you consider how highly thought of he was by the U.S. World Junior team. He has alot of filling out to do, and probably alot of skating work ahead of him. BUt his work ethic and attitude seem real positive.

You caught him on a bad night Ian. Especially if you think he’s slow. I live in London. The guy plays half the game unless the Knights have a ton of PP’s and he’s out against every teams top guys with Harrington. He won’t be in Montreal for 2 years and it won’t be for his offense. But watching a guy develop like this that is mean, can skate, makes life on his goalies easier and make a good first pass is going to be fun to watch when he’s ready. My fear is that with the sad state of the defense right now, Hab brass will try and rush him when he clearly isn’t ready.

BTW, Gallagher with 2 more last night and Patrick Holland had 2 and 2 in his game.

Seemed to me that on a weekend like this with the Habs not playing on Sat. night, the CBC would then cover the Habs game on Sunday. I guess we have been given the official sign its over given they are not covering the game today. Thankfully the CBC still believes in the Leafs or Southern Ontario would be going crazy!

The broadcast schedule is determined before the season starts. The fact that they show some Sunday Habs games is already a upgrade versus a couple years ago, when it was really the Leafs all the time even on Saturday nights when the Habs played.

Of course they are. They have been linked to Derick Brassard by reliable people in the media(Elliot Friedman) for quite some time. If they’re looking to add Brassard it only makes sense that Plekanec is available and why wouldn’t he be?

He is the single most overvalued player the Habs have on their roster each and every season.

I hope that Brassard rumour is not true. We can do better than that. Overvalued? Don’t think so. Give him the same wingers for 25 games and lets see. He never has the same wingers and that impacts his offence.

As I noted, I believe it is the lack of consistency with not playing with the same wingers. While we are not a very good team, I also believe we are not as bad as our current position in the standings. The experts want to say I told you so however they have been saying the same for three years and now want to be claimed geniouses. I think it is an off year as everything that can go wrong , has gone wron While we have to make some moves, I’m not sure at this point if Pleks should be dealt. Ak-see ya. Like his brother, I’ll take a bag of pucks. He’ll be in the KHL next year and teams know it.

Ha Tom! Further to our AK exchange below, here in relation to Pleks I believe it’s the opposite way round. I’ll admit to making excuses for Pleks, just enough not to brand him expendable. But I’m always fighting an impression that — for all his work ethic — he’s too much of an underachiever to be part of a champion team.

If the Canadien’s management were smart they would be dangling anyone they can to get the right asset in return. I would include Cole, Price and Subban. I think the state of this team currently would make no one untradable. I think the team would benefit hugely with strong leaders like Brown, Nash and Webber and would think the mangement would consider any possible scenario in acquiring these types of players.

stephen craig I cannot figure out why we still have kostitsyn, he only plays every third game so why are we still paying him.Didn’t we have another russian on the team who did the same thing.Get rid of him and pay someone who plays every game. I do not care how much talent he has.I bet Richard is turning in his grave right now.People are saying they should get rid of darche well i would rather have 1 darche to kostitsyns

You are mistaken, friend, he plays in every game. The ice time he gets is sometimes severely reduced, however. Sane arguments have been made that he is the official “coach’s whipping boy”, much more likely to sit for making a mistake than say Gionta, Cole, DD, Pacioretty etc.

Many here think he ought to be traded, along with Pleks. My question is, do you think the current Habs management can be trusted to get good value in return for two of our top six forwards. Myself, I’m doubtful.

Top 3 pick in the draft
Insert Andre Savard as GM
Insert Guy Carbonneau as coach
Begin working toward the future at the trade deadline if possible but no brainless firesales
Hope the new CBA allows us to shed the Gomez contract.
Keep Subban

Hey Paul, enjoy the game today. Do you know what happened to Habsolutely who lives in the Miami area? Haven’t seen a post from him in a long time, given the Habs are in his back yard today thought maybe might see a post from him.

I have a feeling our Habs might win this game. And the funny thing is, for every external event that happens, the Habs always win a game. Examples: Superbowl Weekend – 0-5 W against Winnipeg, 2-7 W against the Red Wings before the ASG. Since the Oscars will take place today, they could win this game due to luck i guess….lol

You’re missing the point. Every scout who drafts a player will have a problem with their guy being traded and will surely advise against it. If they don’t have a problem with the players they select being traded, they aren’t worth their salt as a scout.

I agree with you 100%… Any scout who cant say “we over evaluated a player and it’s time to cut ties with him” isn’t worth salt as a GM. Timmons didn’t want to trade McDonagh because he knew he had a stud in the making..

It might have been news to you but Marinaro has been repeating that each and every day for 6 months. Over and over. I like him and I have listened to him since the day he started. But Tony is reaching the tipping point where you just get so negative that it clouds your vision and everything sucks.
I think some of it is the internet. You start tweeting and all that and you let the followers go to your head, start feeling a little more important than you are. You get challenged on a regular basis and you start getting defensive and digging in. He’s gotten too pessimistic, it gets a little boring. He should take a lesson from Mike Boone who is always entertaining and never acts like he knows more than you do. In 5 or 10 years, when the habs turn things around, maybe Tony will lighten up. Hurts me to hear people trashing my beloved habs.

The person you’re citing to my knowledge(being a former HIO poster) has no hockey background outside of being a fan.

Kostitsyn’s skills and scoring ability shouldn’t be taken for granted. With that said he does disappear for long stretches and has been very underwhelming in playoff hockey scoring at a lower rate than he does in the regular season.

Since Martin’s arrival he’s rarely had an opportunity to be a top six forward so maybe he could produce more in that role.

Where I stand on this is that his skills are elite and his production is slightly above average. He was a first round pick and a deserving one considering his production thus far as an NHL player. But if this team can get a 1st round pick for him. They should probably pull the trigger. A high second round pick and a prospect would probably suffice as well.

If it is a matter of maximizing our potential -It will be very hard to replace him with a mid-to late round first so we should not bother. As far as a second + prospect – it better be a likely top 6 prospect. otherwise resigning him makes a hellava lot more sense. He is still young. Let’s not screw up on him like we did with his brother.

If he isn’t signed by tomorrow morning he needs to be moved. You can’t take the chance in thinking that he’ll probably sign here prior to July 1st.

If there is any doubt at all, you trade him for what you feel is good value. If there’s no suitable offer on the table, that’s when you take the chance. With Parise staying put, Semin probably being needed in Washington for their playoff push and Hemsky re-signed, he’s probably the most intriguing player available. The offers will be pouring in for him.

Tom, you have way more detailed knowledge and insight than I have, so I’m taking a deep breath before disagreeing with you. I’m with you so far as what we should get for AK, but I’d go further and say he’s not part of the future so offload him one way or the other.

Why? I don’t believe he cares, not consistently anyway. Compare him with Cole. Ask would Bowman have kept him. AK can be great on the ice, but he’s often less than ordinary (yes, yes mitigating circumstances, JM/RC juggling lines etc). But a guy like that has subtler negative effects on a team beyond simply not scoring or creating when he’s on the ice.

So I say go for a 1st or 2nd rounder, but trade him for less if necessary.

A lot of the players have gone on record saying that he’s a great guy in the room. He removed himself from his brother’s horsecrap when he was here. That whole Grabovski deal.

He’s an inconsistent person. It seems that he always will be. I don’t believe for one second it’s that he doesn’t care. He isn’t nearly as fast as Erik Cole so it may seem like he isn’t trying as hard and maybe he isn’t but it isn’t a lack of caring.

Thanks for that. Probably won’t prevent the brain trust from giving him away for a second rounder and a prospect who will never play in the bigs. The logic goes something like, “He’s not the reincarnation of Guy Lafleur, so he has no value.”

When you have gone thru 3 coaches and your production has been the same in all situations I think its not the coaching. He is a very good player with a lot of talent and will probably always be a .6 to .7 point a game player.
I say we keep him. Great on a 3rd line, but re-signing him might be very difficult. Tom is right. High 2nd round pick or a first round pick, send him packing. If not try to re-sign under 4 million.

So Molson is awake enough to respond on twitter? Who knew?
Unfortunately he is not getting the picture apparently. We are sick and tired of watching this group of players and we want most of them gone. We are sick and tired of watching their putrid efforts night after night. We are sick and tired of the boring hockey they play. We are sick and tired of the lame duck coaching situation that Molson helped create. We are sick and tired of the continual lack of leadership and terrible judgment displayed by Gauthier. And we are sick and tired of no one stepping up and apologizing to the paying public for the mess this season has been, with an acknowledgment that they will work hard to get it fixed, which are the things that Molson should be saying, not that the team is going to operate like it has all season. Great, that has been a real success hasn’t it? Was Molson inviting fans to stay away for the last 20 games by telling us there will be more of the same? That is how I interprete it.

good morning to you – hope your day gets better – you appear to be very bitter about the current state and most of us are – stability will go a long way towards progress – please remember that AND the fact that PG inherited a big mess – he has already managed to unload one of the smurfs and a couple of the senior statesmen – feats most deemed impossible, it may not look like it to you yet but the team is in a nice situation to be a lot better real soon – instead of panicking and reinventing the wheel – give it some time …

This is just corporate speak. Don’t read too much into it. He knows changes must happen. In essence, yes, the last 20 will be more of the same. Losing. A miracle trade is not going to happen. PG is obviously be watched carefully but he is still the acting GM.

Chrisadiens and HabFan10912, one of the few father son tandems on HIO.

So by that, we will see where the Habs might get a slot for the 1st round?

I’m looking at this 2012 mock draft at this website right now: http://www.mynhldraft.com/NHL-Mock-Draft/
it seems the possible 3rd place for the 1st round is a Swedish player named Filip Forsberg. He’s a 6’2 Centerman. I think he could be descent Forward which the Habs need to boost up the 3rd and 4th lines.

Again, what were people expecting Molson to say to McKenzie? “Um…yeah we’re firing his ass on Monday but don’t tell anyone.” Even if that’s exactly what they plan to do, he said exactly what I would expect him to say.

We learned as much from McKenzie as we did from Marinaro.
—————-
McGuire for GM!
Roy for Coach!
Sh*t for Brains!

Molson will say anything to cover his ass and not get the fans a little too excited about their plans. So I can’t blame him for commenting (or probably denying the facts) about the rumours surrounding Pierre Gauthier’s descension.

I was a pretty loyal 990 listener for years, but as clowns like Marinaro took more place, and once TSN turned up the US college sports, they lost me. I longer even turn them on.
Marinaro reports like Gomez scores.
The whole story is such a non-event. It got the desperate excited, and was nothing – another rumour in a sad season of listless Habs hockey. Anyway, Molson inherited money. He didn’t necessarily inherit hockey knowledge.
I have my expos glasses on, already looking at the prospects for next year’s team.

The 48.2% is the worst team’s chance of holding on to their 1st overall pick. Unless the 4 teams below them win, they still hold on to their pick (as happened last year when New Jersey won the draft from the 8th spot, moving up to 4th overall).

It’s all on the table tonite and tomorrow. If the team loses today( I can’t see them winning ths game) The hammer falls. I think Molson has told PG enough is enough of this crap, you better get this turned around as of today. I think this message has been told to the coach and players. Now the GM and the coach maybe be shaking but the players have their contract, and with all this going on they don’t give a crap. Florida 6 Habs 0 and PG will be fired. Bob will take over for the rest of the season till they hire a new GM and CC is a lame duck coach but we all knew that when he was hired.

Here’s an idea. In the workplace everyone sort of has an idea who is dogging it and who is carrying the load. Sometimes popularity has nothing to do with either. When it gets intense the folks dogging it, the overpaid folks, stick out like a sore thumb. Then the boss, their brother-in-law, gives them a raise and the whole floor falls apart.

How does it feel to be a young D and see Kaberle brought in? The same guy everyone knew how to beat on the other teams? How does it feel to watch Gomez go through the motions while your agent struggles to get you 60% of that and the GM points out all the things you do wrong?

In a world where money guages the worth of a player’s contribution aren’t these bad examples? Doesn’t sending team guy Spac away right after he returns from injury send the wrong message? Doesn’t letting Hammer go send the wrong message? Or do you just say: “Yeah we played them big and critical minutes but now we’re done with them? We can pick up Campoli, nobody else signed him, and sit him in the clinic. You young guys at 600K can carry the load till he’s ready to play.”

Maybe the problems on the Canadiens aren’t with the players but with the whole organization running it, except perhaps scouting. (The team stopped picking US High School players as a priority after Gillette took his money and ran – which tells you that the line “scouts pick the best player available” is BS )

So in almost every case, the Habs picked a guy who basically went in the slot that he should have, with the notable exception of David Fischer. Fischer was a wild-card, though…CSS had him 29th, TSN didn’t have him in their first round, while McKeen’s had him as high as 17th.

Every other pick there could easily be seen as the “best player available”. The fact that so many of them were American was in part due to the heavy emphasis being placed on player development by the Americans through the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, which was started in 1996 but really started to churn out players in the 2000’s. And Montreal weren’t alone in getting caught up in that: American players were routinely drafted much higher than they ever had been before, largely due to the success and high profile of that program.

Other than David Fischer, which pick do you object to from 2001-2009? Komisarek, Higgins, Kostitsyn, Chipchura, Price, McDonagh and Pacioretty all pretty much exactly where the pre-rankings would have placed them. So pretty much the definition of the best player available except for the reach to pick David Fischer.

What ever became of the classy Montreal media ( Dick Irvin, Red Fisher, Jacques Beauchamp) that reported on our Habs. Those guys ( TonyM and Brian Wilde) looked like the gong show Yikes! With Wilde asking Marinaro to confirm how reliable his sources were. Just goes to show how bad the Habs and the Montreal media are…they deserve each other

How many more times do you think PG gets a vote of confidence in the media from the owner. Kiss of death IMO. Shortly after first one, JM gets fired, then right after JM gets fired and this time for no apparent reason, he is done.

So Tony Marinaro, who supposedly has amazing sources in the organization, lets a bombshell drop just to get it immediately denied by the President and Owner through several media outlets(on Twitter himself, through Bob Mckenzie).

Surprise, surprise… It’s not the first time he tries to pull this crap and failed miserably.

Some amazing reaction to the ‘scoop’ from Tony Marinaro. Granted it was overhyped but it was good reporting from someone who have inside information. And RDS corroborated it.

Habs fans are again denying reality by saying that it is ‘normal’ for ‘owner’ to hold GM accountable and nothing has changed. These are the same people wo reacted with “what the heck does he know about what’s going on” when Tony deleved into and released the truth about Markov… again and again. These are the same people who refused to see the truth in how we lost Kirk Muller because JM was too insecure and spiteful to even have him in Hamilton. Tony again detailed the full story about the Muller/JM relationship. JM set the habs back a huge factor by ‘forcing’ Muller out of the organization.

I for one am glad to know that Molson has esentially relegated PG to ‘courier’ status. It shows that Molson is definitely going to install a new GM as soon as the timing is right.

That is good news for the habs. Maybe in a year or two we will start to recover from the damage inflicted on this organization by the duo of PG and JM.

They way I see it, we SHOULD be in the draft lottery. When it’s our pick, we need either Grigorenko of Faksa (if available). They are what we have lacked for the last 20 years. Big strong number one center. Gigorenko might have a tendency to be lazy, but if you ask me, AK27 was the light of our lives while he was here, lazy or not.

Grigorenko will go as #2, so we’ll probably get the 3rd pick. third ranked prospect is Filip Forsberg (LW). The only other forwards in the top 10 are Galchenyuk, who hasn’t played all year due to a torn ACL and Faksa, who is rated #10. The top 10 has 6 d-men this year:-(

Unless we win the lottery to move-up and draft Grigorenko, Forsberg should definitely be our man. McKenzie calls him the most NHL ready player in the draft, and the biggest Swede prospect since Sundin. Too bad he’s a LW, but I’m sure UFA centers will be more enticed to sign in Montreal with this guy on-board.

ISS had Faksa down at #19, but CSS had him as #4 amongst North American Skaters.

5th to 10th sounds about right for Faksa. He is generally perceived as being lower than Forsberg, and it depends on how you compare him to highly ranked European forwards (notably Sebastian Collberg, Tomas Hertl and Pontus Aberg). There are a host of highly ranked defencemen that could push him lower.

Actually, I follow McKenzie’s rankings on TSN. But, he’s also mentioned Faksa as the fastest riser. With so many russians and D-men in the top 10 it makes for a less reliable draft for a habs team clearly seeking a forward.

Drafting Faksa over Forsberg b/c he’s a center could be a huge mistake. We have to take the best player available. Consider Tavares vs. Hedman, or Nugent-Hopkins vs. (D-man can’t remember his name????)

I wouldn’t be surprised if we took a d-man, and then drafted 2 centers in the second round.

i read some reports that said Grigorenko would fall out of the top 10. Apparently he’s very lazy. Of course, they also said the same thing about Getzlaf. Having said that, questions about work ethic, to go along with the KHL possibility make him a very risky pick in the top 3 or 4, so you had better done your homework.

To say this season has been a disaster is an understatement! It seems as though it’s only getting weirder with everyday that passes. I’ve never in all my years following this team (I remember Guy Lafleur retiring, and a pipe falling off a truck and smashing through his windshield) have they ever had a draft pick this high! In saying that anything less than a TOP FORWARD preferably a CENTER should be acceptable. We DO NOT NEED A DEFENSEMAN WITH OUR 1st PICK!!

What was that farce that CTV Montreal put on with Brian Wilde and Tony M. Like it was some major scoop….Is that what used to be the best Montreal Sports News has regressed to? Did we really believe that ownership was not involved at least to sanction any move by the Habs especially this season.

THanks Jim, I think that was much ado about nothing. As just a fan on the outside to me it was obvious Geoff Molson wanted to approve deals. I think Marinaro just wanted to see his mug on TV and Brian Wilde was happy to host the event.

Anyone who says they have a “scoop” and it turns out that it’s business as usual deserves criticism. Show me 1 GM who doesn’t need the owner’s approval over each and every contract. Just 1, and back it up.
Marinaro is an over-hyped self-important joke.

Long-time reader- 1st time poster. Stu always gives great scout reports. Maybe the Habs can hire him? Looks like they need all the help they can get.
Has anyone ever seen a year where the forwards as a group were so terrible and the coach uses 7 defense every night?

Welcome Cal. Glad you finally decided to post. I think the 7 defenseman playing is a result of the flawed roster. The current squad only has 3 defenseman worth a crap so you end up keeping Weber (wing) or Kabrele on the ice on a limited basis.
As for Stu, I think Moloson needs to hire someone with experience and connections throughout the league who will be locked in to various scouts both on the pro and Jr. level. Welcome to HIO!

Thanks, Habfan. I agree. The defense is too small and, as a result, the opposition has an easy time in our end of the ice and the forwards try to do too much. Excepting Subban, Gorges and Emelin, of course. Habs need 3 more Emelins and no team will want any part of coming into the Habs zone.

Lizard – Some of my good friends here would disown me if I uttered those words. Made the mistake of thinking that way once. Love your optimism with the drive for 25 though. Believe it or not, I think this season will actually put us in a better position going forward. Maybe not as fast as you are thinking though. : )

I dont really ‘believe’ in the genius of Pierre McGuire but I think that is because I have bought into the dislike for him here on this site. But more and more, as I listen to Pierre, I am becoming convinced that if McGuire were to ever be the GM or any other influential hockey job for habs.. he would bust his ass to be GOOD. And he has many connections that he would not hesitate to use. I guess I am saying that I wont scream bloody murder if that were to happen. ONE THING I KNOW.. yes I have to shout it.. if McGuire is GM, LARRY ROBINSON can probably have any job he wants with Montreal. And that would be fantastic.

Brilliant idea with Pleks. Who would replace him? And let´s suppose we trade AK46 and get rid of the Gomez contract and Kaberle too. What would we do with all that cap space, offer sick money to someone who rather signs somewhere else?

Did any of us actually believe that Geoff Molson wouldn’t be wanting final approval on any deals done by PG the rest of season since the whole DePearning, JM firings?

Thanks Tony Marinaro for stirring the Sh*tPot only to reveal nothing new. I have not seen the link from CTV/TMZ/Sports Montreal but can only imagine how useless that big reveal actually was.

Brian Wilde should perhaps stick to reading cricket or soccer scores on his 5mins of sports during newscasts.

Am hopeful that after this season ends, Geoff can get his ducks in a row and find us a GM that he believes in, that we as fans believe in and more importantly has a vision and can work with other GM’s throughout the league.

There is a decent core on this team, there are some exciting prospects in the pipeline. Some big decisions to be made this offseason, but things can turnaround with the right people making key decisions.

I agree, contrary to what some say, I think the Habs have some great prospects in the system. As long as they don’t rush them.
We all hear about Gallagher, Tinordi, and Beaulieu, but there is also Dietz, Ellis, Pateryn, and of course Nash on defence. Up front, along with Gallagher, there is Bournival, Kristo, Quailer, Pribyl, and some players in Hamilton. Now the trick is to turn Campoli, Kostitsyn, Weber, Plekanec, Kaberle, and Nokelainen into prospects and players. Then to draft very well. they need to hit a home run in the 1st round!

A homerun with our high draft pick this year is key indeed Steve. It has been a long time since we had a potential highscoring/high talent forward with potential to jump in lineup year 1. I am not advocating rushing this player to the NHL, but given we could pick as high as #2 or #3 that opportunity may present itself.

I think it is impossible for the front office dissarray to not be a factor on the players. While they should only be concerned with playing, given how much this quagmire has ran downhill per se, the dressing room has to be watching it all and hoping for a clean start.

Yah, I think PG will do an okay job over today and tomorrow. His minor trades to me are not his weakness. His weakness to me is his complete leadership style. Interesting times eh Jim? Hope you are doing well.

Agree about the front office disarray affecting the players. And I think this has been the case since Cunneyworth took over and both Molson and Gauthier announced his appointment was temporary. This announcement effectively cut the ground out from under Cunneyworth’s feet. Whatever the players said publicly, they knew from the start that he’d be gone next season, and therefore his authority didn’t mean what it should.

Now is the time to set up for the future. Gomez is an unmoveable contract so dump him in Hamilton for the rest of this season and hope that the new CBA allows them to buy him out.

Kaberle would be hard to trade, but I am sure here are some teams that would look at his numbers with the Habs and might take him to help their power play if they believe they can contend for the cup.

Camplli, Weber, Nokelainen, and Kostitsyn need to be moved. Plekanec and Gionta should be moved if the Habs can get value for them. I would send Gionta back to the Devils for Zubrus, who’s contract is up at the end of this season. Chicago wants a 2nd line centre so maybe Beach and a 3rd round pick for Plekanec. Send Kostitsyn and Weber to Nashville for the rights to Radulov. If the Habs do end up with the 1st overall pick and get Yakupov, maybe he can get the best out of Radulov! Then get whatever they can for Nokelainen and Campoli!!

Next season, Gallagher, Kristo, Quailer, Pateryn, Beaulieu, and Tinordi will be pressing and one year closer to making the team. Nash would have been with the Habs if not for his shoulder injury.
The Habs can then pick up some players to fill holes with free agents.

great news habs are in 28 th place this morning! just where we need to be to get into draft lottery the plans working rebuild by losing it worked for the oilers getting hall and eberle and nyi tanked got taveres now its habs turn to land a great top pick in entry draft. lose habs lose keep price subban eller diaz. plek rest can go on the block monday

…since the Devil’s and Capitals final nails in Our coffin, I’ve been in an Otis Redding kinda mood
…next time, for Me ?, Stu …a little ‘Otis’ ?
…by the way, Your pregame overviews of Our opponents are great reads

I seriously think we need a major makeover once again – Gainey did it but choose the wrong size and guys. We need big, strong winners. I say we start with a 40+ goal player. With us in Last place in the east here is our chance to get a top forward – and GOD we gotta trade GOMEZ, AK46, Chris Cam – and FOREVER injuried MARKOV. We need to get rid of these pimps…. they are just making money for nothing here… these are the guys we dont need and that they need esle where.

I am hoping that it comes true. I hope the canadians stay at the bottom. I am really excited about the talented upcoming drafties. The habs have a REALY exciting future, we just need that sniper, and he is to be had in the draft. if we draft 3-5, we can ahve a shot at galchynyuk, or even grigorenko. either of these two i would love to see in habs jersey.

drooling. please habs stay ata bottom for you own sake, we cna handle it one year!!!

Last night’s shoot-out save by Halak was boss…never -ever should of traded that athlete,t’was the beginning of the end of the class dept. in Habs land! Your reward for outstanding efforts= F-off. your not in our plans for self destruction and total embarrassment of a once Great Team. We are one power forward closer to a last place finish for years to come people,we need more …We need a legit SuperStar named Nash,trade whoever it’s going to take and make the build around him David Molson now that you’ve neutered Gauthier”thank God!”